On the first day of the new school year at Qinghe No. 1 High School, transfer student Chen Tinglan strikes up a drum set during the flag-raising ceremony. The beats are crisp and precise, as if waking up the whole month of September.
Lin Zhiye is the school's flag-raiser, accustomed to arranging everything just right: the national anthem ends just as the flag reaches the top. But Chen Tinglan's arrival throws his idea of "just right" off beat for the first time.
A mishap with a jammed pulley rope brings them together through a misunderstanding. Then a research project, "The Effect of Rhythm Cues on the Stability of Baton Handoffs in School Relays," binds the flag-raiser and the drummer together.
They measure strides, tap out beats, modify equipment, and write reports. And through facing anonymous reports, an injured team captain, family upheavals, a citywide competition presentation, the coming-of-age ceremony, and the college entrance exam side by side, they learn to face their passions, pressures, and unspoken feelings.
Being just right doesn't mean narrowly missing each other. It means meeting at just the right moment, and becoming better versions of themselves together.
